Today we will be commenting one of the most important points What you should keep in mind when visiting the Island of Ice and Fire: The essential applications and pages in Iceland, what are they for and How can they help you on your journey?
When we were planning the trip we thought it was an exaggeration to have to look at some applications every day, especially the roads, to our surprise Upon arriving in Iceland we realized that it is essential to be informed of the state of the roads every day.
And so with many other very useful apps that will save you some trouble.
Table of Contents
Essential applications and pages on your Iceland trip
Here I leave you the applications that you must have during your adventure in Iceland. Some are apps that you can have on mobile and other web pages it would be nice if you left them open in a tab.
travelsafe.is
You have the application available and the website.
This is one Alert application both on the subject of roads and the most important thing regarding time. It is very important that you take a look at it and adapt to its operation.
In any case, the application is very intuitive, best of all, it has a alerts section where can you see a summary of the most outstanding issues of the day.
road.is
This application was our daily father of ours. at the end of our journey we looked at her practically two or three times a day. It is a essential application if you visit Iceland since in it you have the state of the roads at all times.
The best of all is that you will have access to the cameras so you can see for yourself what condition the roads are in What are you going to go through that day?
It is enough intuitive and easy to use although to find certain things you have to mess around with it a bit. With this application you can see at a glance how are the roads of the whole country and you will also have information about the wind. Which in Iceland never hurts.
Vedur
In Veđur you have all the information about the weather, It gives you information about the chances of rain and the intensity of the wind that you will have that day.
Also in this application, on the website, you have a section for See the chances of seeing Northern Lights along with the conditions at the time.
Been one of the applications that we have used the most during the trip, together with Road.is. They have been key apps for organizing the conferences in Iceland.
take a look at Veður's website.
Færđ og Veđur
If you don't really like the dynamics of the two previous applications, you can try downloading this application that tells you both the state of the roads and the weather. Although it is a quite complete application We did not use it since with the previous two it was more than enough for us.
112 App
It is very important that you download the 112 application. Once you have downloaded it you have to activate the geolocation in this way if something happens you can call and they will have your location at the moment.
Aurora Forecast
Our star application to see the Northern Lights. Thanks to this app, and with the help of Veđur, We have managed to see the beautiful northern lights, and on our own!
With this application you will be able to see where the boreal contrail is, the conditions you have at that moment in your location and the chances there are that you can see them.
It also gives you details about the clouds that are there at that moment, the long-term forecast, the light, etc.
It is an application that we recommend whether you are going to Iceland or Alaska, since it is about an international app that works all over the world.
About Us We managed to see the northern lights on October 09 at approximately 9:00 p.m. in the town of Akureyri. At that time the app gave us a 20% chance of seeing the auroras.
We also have to mention that It is not a 100×100 trustworthy app as sometimes it gives you a high chance when your location is cloudy.
Therefore, this application It is a kind of help that tells you where the boreal wake is and after having this information it will be you who has to evaluate the conditions you have in your location as the app often gets it wrong when it comes to time.
In fact, we went hunting for the Northern Lights one day, we were in Höfn, since the app gave us a 15% probability. To our surprise, at about 12 at night, when we left we realized that it was quite cloudy. 😂
happy hours
If you are thinking of going out one day have a few beers in a city in Iceland, that there are not many. We recommend you download a Happy Hour application. in those apps you will have the specific hours in which the beers are cheaper, an app super useful that will help you save a lot of money.
The subject of alcohol in Iceland is still quite taboo, which is why you will not be able to buy alcoholic beverages in all places, only in those authorized and at a high price.
SygicTravel
An app to organize your trip.
You will be able to insert locations, notes and create routes. A real help when you have so many places to visit. 😁
These are all the applications that we have used during our trip to Iceland. Some we have used it less and other They have been essential to organize each day.
It is important that pay particular attention to road applications and weather since those two aspects They can condition your trip around Iceland a lot.
Other aspects that you should take into account during your trip to Iceland
The state of the roads
Looking every day at the state of the roads is vital so that you can organize your trip in the most efficient way possible. One thing to keep in mind is that in Iceland it is quite common for roads to be closed. We are talking about the main road, the N1.
In fact, During our trip the roads were closed for a day and a half due to a storm. Therefore, what we did was modify our trip and extend our stay in Akureyri, until the storm passed, and cancel stays and plans that we had in the eastern fjords.
Ignoring these alerts can lead to road closures while you are driving, and getting stuck in the middle of Iceland is no nonsense.
We didn't know anything about the storm or that they were going to close the roads, luckily my partner read a sign in one of the tourist areas we went to.
After knowing that, we informed ourselves, we spoke with other travelers, with some people from Iceland who advised us to travel the day before the storm and stay in Akureyri for two days.
Talking with other travelers in this case was vital to make the decision to go north quickly from Höfn, and thank goodness we did so because if we had stayed in Egilsstadir things would have been much worse and we would have had to wait longer to resume our trip, as these were the last roads to be opened.
Wind
The wind in Iceland is devilishly changeable.
And is that Wind gusts in Iceland can be very strong and very dangerous.
I tell you: The first night we spent in Iceland was near the Keflavik airport and just that night I woke up several times because of the strong wind it was.
IMPORTANT: In addition, a very important thing that you have to know is that car insurance does not take care of the damage that the doors may suffer due to gusts of wind.
I explain:
Wind gusts in Iceland can to be so powerful that when opening the car the slots of doors can sustain significant damage. That is why We recommend that when you pick up the car at the rental company, you take photos of these parts of the doors.
This is not a joke. We have spoken with travelers and there are cases where gusts of wind have ripped off the car doors. More than the wind, the issue is the gusts that can be very strong. Be very careful and open the doors carefully when you see that the wind is a bit strong.
snow and ice
We made our trip in October, so that we do not expect to find snow or ice. deluded…
In fact, at the rental company we mentioned the issue of the chains, as a precaution, and they told us that there was no snow at this time. Mistake.
Luckily our car was equipped with studded wheels and thanks to this fact we were able to pass the mountains of the north without dying of fright. Although a little we were scared. We suffered a lot driving on snow covered roads, literally. So A plus point was having studded wheels. Goodness.
That is why If you are planning to do the Iceland Road, in September or October, make sure that your car has the right wheels to drive on snow and ice.
*** Important that you ask for them.
we have talked to others travelers who, even having a 4×4 car, they have had to tour the island with summer wheels. Which is a problem if you have to traverse the northern mountains.
This does not mean that nothing will happen to you, but that Driving is much safer with studded wheels. And more, when we meet with stretches of snow and ice.
You may even be lucky enough to find the road completely clear, without a hint of snow or ice. But, as a precaution we believe it is important to be prepared.
so these are the applications that we have used during our trip to Iceland and have helped us to have a much calmer trip.
I hope that the aspects mentioned above help you so that your trip through the wonderful Iceland. Also in another post you have our detailed budget on our route through Iceland: 💰 Expenses for Gasoline, Hotels, Food, etc.
Discover more about Iceland in our section
This country is wild, unique, unpredictable and awesome, and rewards all those travelers who are well organized and cautious.
𝙶𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚛 ♡ 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞
